The Raven Boys

It is freezing in the churchyard, even before the dead arrive. Every year, Blue Sargent stands next to her clairvoyant mother as the soon-to-be dead walk past. Blue herself never sees them - not until this year, when a boy emerges from the dark and speaks directly to her. His name is Gansey, and Blue soon discovers that he is a rich student at Aglionby, the local private school. Blue has a policy of staying away from Aglionby boys. Known as Raven Boys, they can only mean trouble. But Blue is drawn to Gansey, in a way she can't entirely explain.

I wasn't quite sure if this was a young adult book or not. I tend to think it is. However, even adults can enjoy this one. If you like paranormal, ley lines and mystery, you should like this book. Each major character is fully fleshed out, which gave me a reason to keep listening and rooting for them through out the book. Will Patton does an excellent job of narrating and bringing the characters to life.

The Wolves of Paris

Set in 1450 Paris, this thrilling supernatural suspense novel follows the harrowing journey of an Italian merchant and the beautiful widow of a French duke as they battle wolves and the Inquisition. From Wall Street Journal best-selling author Michael Wallace, The Wolves of Paris has been hailed for its superb plot and gripping, pause-resisting action scenes.

I loved this story. The story was set in Paris around the year of 1450. There were no sexy werewolves trying to climb into bed with any humans to seduce them.

These werewolves are of the Devil, and this story runs true to how people believed in the 1450's. They are evil and have human cunning. Actually, kinda like the Catholic Church and it's clergy of that time. Which actually makes for a great story, as the normal lay person is caught in a world of how to be clever enough to defeat the werewolves, without having the church condemn you as a Witch, or Satan worshiper.

So, yes we have all read the old stories of the werewolf, but again this was a great story, and I truly enjoyed my listen.

Burning Paradise

Cassie Klyne, 19 years old, lives in the United States in the year 2015 - but it's not our United States, and it's not our 2015. Cassies world has been at peace since the Great Armistice of 1918. There was no World War II, no Great Depression. Poverty is declining, prosperity is increasing everywhere; social instability is rare. But Cassie knows the world isn't what it seems. Her parents were part of a group who gradually discovered the awful truth: That for decades - back to the dawn of radio communications - human progress has been interfered with, made more peaceful and benign, by an extraterrestrial entity.

I'm a fan, so I loved everything about the story. I think Wilson has a fantastic imagination, and then weaves that into words.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Leo and Ethan. Mr. Wilson seems to have a difficult time with developing female characters.

What did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?

Scott Brick is not one of my favorite narrators. His voice is a combination of Eeyore (very mournful) and William Shatner (dramatic pauses) I compensate for this by kicking up the narration speed to 1.25.

Great North Road

A century from now, thanks to a technology allowing instantaneous travel across light-years, humanity has solved its energy shortages, cleaned up the environment, and created far-flung colony worlds. The keys to this empire belong to the powerful North family - composed of successive generations of clones. Yet these clones are not identical. For one thing, genetic errors have crept in with each generation. For another, the original three clone "brothers" have gone their separate ways, and the branches of the family are now friendly rivals more than allies. Or maybe not so friendly....

First of all for me, Peter Hamilton is one of my favorite sci-fi writers. But I have to say, this book might be one of my all time favorites by him.I loved all the clones, and a murder mystery that took place on two different planets. I loved the main characters, and how fleshed out they were. Of course this is easy to do, when the book is Ginormous.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Great North Road?

Just finding out all about Angela.

Which character – as performed by Toby Longworth – was your favorite?

I don't think I had a favorite character, however Toby did a great job with the accents. Even had the vowel sounds, spot on for an American midwestern flat accent.

Midnight Riot: Peter Grant, Book 1

Probationary constable Peter Grant dreams of being a detective in London's Metropolitan Police. Too bad his superior plans to assign him to the Case Progression Unit, where the biggest threat he'll face is a paper cut. But Peter's prospects change in the aftermath of a puzzling murder, when he gains exclusive information from an eyewitness who happens to be a ghost. Peter's ability to speak with the lingering dead brings him to the attention of Detective Chief Inspector Thomas Nightingale....

What made the experience of listening to A Bridge of Years the most enjoyable?

I believe in any audible book that the narrator can make or break a book. Jonathan did a fantastic job.

What did you like best about this story?

Like all of the books I've read by Robert Wilson, his main characters are well thought out, and are believable. The story was great! I love the concept of having a home, that is in fact a time machine. Also, when Tom went back to 1962, I really felt like I was in New York 1962.

What about Jonathan Davis’s performance did you like?

Everything!

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes. But I have a life, and have to quarantine time to listen to audio books :-)

Any additional comments?

I read or listen to books for fun. I am able to dispel my reality, and get into stories that are as good as this one.

NOS4A2: A Novel

Victoria McQueen has an uncanny knack for finding things: a misplaced bracelet, a missing photograph, answers to unanswerable questions. When she rides her bicycle over the rickety old covered bridge in the woods near her house, she always emerges in the places she needs to be. Vic doesn't tell anyone about her unusual ability, because she knows no one will believe her. She has trouble understanding it herself.

Beautiful Darkness

Ethan Wate used to think of Gatlin, the small Southern town he had always called home, as a place where nothing ever changed. Then he met mysterious newcomer Lena Duchannes, who revealed a secret world that had been hidden in plain sight all along. A Gatlin that harbored ancient secrets beneath its moss-covered oaks and cracked sidewalks.

A Cold and Lonely Place

Freelance writer Troy Chance is snapping photos of the Saranac Lake Winter Carnival ice palace when the ice-cutting machine falls silent. Encased in the ice is the shadowy outline of a body. Troy's assigned to write an in-depth feature on the dead man, who was the privileged son of a wealthy Connecticut family who had been playing at a blue collar life in this Adirondack village. And the deeper Troy digs into his life and mysterious death, the murkier things become.

The Blood Gospel: The Order of the Sanguines, Book 1

An earthquake in Masada, Israel, kills hundreds and reveals a tomb buried in the heart of the mountain. A trio of investigators - Sergeant Jordan Stone, a military forensic expert; Father Rhun Korza, a Vatican priest; and Dr. Erin Granger, a brilliant but disillusioned archaeologist - are sent to explore the macabre discovery, a subterranean temple holding the crucified body of a mummified girl. But a brutal attack at the site sets the three on the run, thrusting them into a race to recover what was once preserved in the tomb's sarcophagus: a book rumored to have been written by Christ's own hand....

I really like the book. It was a very nice change from reading the Sigma books. I really enjoyed the archaeological parts of the book, as well the puzzle solving. Think Sigma, only replace the team with vampires. These vampires are not like the ones in Twilight, or Vampire Diaries.

I personally thought the narrator did an excellent job. His accents were spot on. The audio editor might have done a better job by increasing the volume, as sometimes the narrators voice became very soft while reading the story.

Hounded: The Iron Druid Chronicles, Book 1

Atticus O’Sullivan, last of the Druids, lives peacefully in Arizona, running an occult bookshop and shape-shifting in his spare time to hunt with his Irish wolfhound. His neighbors and customers think that this handsome, tattooed Irish dude is about twenty-one years old - when in actuality, he’s twenty-one centuries old. Not to mention: He draws his power from the earth, possesses a sharp wit, and wields an even sharper magical sword known as Fragarach, the Answerer. Unfortunately, a very angry Celtic god wants that sword, and he’s hounded Atticus for centuries....

I like the premise of this book. The main character reminded me of the wizard Dresden, and the story itself reminded me of Urban fantasy (sans the romance). Fun story all in all, and it has intrigued me enough to read the second book in the series.

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